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I left my mooring on the north side of Middlewich, just before the Big Lock which, incidently, was a blissfully quiet night compared to the previous night along side the very busy A533. It’s called Big Lock because it is a wide lock on a predominantly narrow canal. Many years ago, in the late 18th century, it was intended that Middlewich should be the trans-shipment point between Mersey Flats (widebeam barges) and narrowboats and there were plans to convert the northern section of the canal to a wide canal all the way down to Middlewich. This was for the purpose of transporting salt on Mersey Flats up to the Manchester ship canal and also to the River Weaver using the Anderton Boat lift. This was scrapped shortly after starting due to financial reasons and it was also around the time that the railways were starting to make an impact on the canals and was taking over due to it’s ability to transport goods more quickly and easily. All the rest of the locks, aquaducts, bridges and other infrastructure remained a narrow canal. As far as I am aware, this information is correct but any dates appear to be sketchy and I couldn’t find a good source for this information. I’d be grateful if someone would point out any errors.

After negotiating the lock with the help of a couple of other boaters, I set off and soon came to the outskirts of Middlewich.

I soon crossed the Croxton Aquaduct over the Rive Dane.

And then came Croxton flash where I observed the signs to keep out to avoid being grounded in the shallow water. You’d have to go well out of your way through the marker poles if you’re daring enough to try it, but I suspect you wouldn’t get far past that line.

This flash doesn’t appear to have a name, although it probably does. It’s not on any map that I can find, but it is breath-taking when it slowly comes into view after rounding the bend. Again, I have to keep to the main channel, or else, but there are no guidance markers here.

Here’s a marina under construction at Rudheath, near Northwich. I couldn’t really get a better photo because of all the other boats surrounding it.

At first I thought I had spotted Jesus reincarnated as a duck, but as I got closer, it became apparent that he was a she, and was standing on a submerged log.

Unfortunately, the canal bisects the hideous Tata Chemical works at Lostock Gralam. I thought I’d share a few images of this on my way through.

Shortly after this I came across this interestingly decorated bridge depicting the uses of salt, although I’m not sure. There is a chemical reaction formula on the bridge which shows a reaction to make Chlorine (Cl), Hydrogen (H) and Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) from Water (H₂O) and salt, Sodium Chloride (NaCl). That may have something to do with a specific Tata chemicals proccess.

I eventually arrived at Marston, where I moored for a couple of days.

Here at Marston is the Lion Salt Works, although now it’s just a museum but I found it absolutely fascinating. I have actually taken a lot of photos of it but I won’t be detailing it here but I do intend to cover the museum in it’s own post. The photo below is of an old brine tank, looking a bit worse for wear now. I’m not sure if they are intending to do anything about this now as clearly, as you can see, it has some very large holes in it and I think it might be a little past the sprucing up stage.

There was a small advertising board on the towpath advertising tea rooms, so the day after arriving here, I thought I’d try my luck at getting some lunch. When I stepped inside, it was a standard-ish cafe with a large area for children to play, and at the rear, the entrance to the museum. After purchasing my order, I managed to find a table and tucked into my rather nice “homemade” sausage roll.

As I have previously mentioned, the museum was brilliant and it’s being covered in a seperate post.

I came down another 5 locks from Kidsgrove and moored for the night near Church Lawton. This was a lot more peaceful.

This photo is at lock 43 where I had tied the boat to a sturdy set of railings whilst I closed the lock gates. I should have used the lock landing further down and under the road bridge but it was only for a minute of so.

Just after lock 43, there was this themed outbuilding overlooking the canal at the end of someones garden. It’d be nice sitting out there for a while, glass in hand.

At lock 44, I noticed something I had not seen before. Back in the days before diesel engines, the boats were pulled along by horses. To protect the brickwork, they normally used iron angles on the corners to stop the tow ropes from causing too much wear. However, on this occasion, I noticed this vertically orientated cylinder. So the ropes attached to the boat passed around the corner by using this wheel and then to the horse on the towpath.

Emerging from the north end of Harecastle tunnel you’ll find youself in Kidsgrove. From the canal, there is very little to see as we are surrounded by trees.

There were quite a few friendly people passing by walking, jogging, cycling or just walking their dogs. On the boat behind were a very friendly couple and we chatted for ages. We exchanged names but as is often the case with me, I had forgotten them a couple of days after. The husband was painting parts of his bathroom and laying them out to dry. If they come across this blog, they’ll now who they are…

This was the mooring spot and was quite peaceful.

On the following morning, we were descended upon by a group of young wrong’uns causing a lot of noise and interfering with boats. I chased them off my boat as one of them was trying to do something at the bow end but I couldn’t see exactly what. Another one of them kept shouting at me that my boat was sinking. Stupid oik. They made off and were seen by a couple of us that they were jumping on and off other boats further down.

We later heard that the juveniles were then playing with the lock further down. They were interfering and getting in the way whilst another boat was coming up. The lady on the boat apparently gave them a scare by shouting and swearing at them. They then apparently went off elsewhere to make a nuisance of themselves. Hopefully somewhere less dangerous.

It reminds me of a time when I was going down the locks from Gayton to Northampton on the Grand Union and on lock 14, there was a large group of traveller children causing mayhem. Most of them were friendly but I had to shout at one for his own safety as he was trying to get on to the roof of my boat as it was descending in the lock. I told him, that if he missed and fell down the side of the boat, he would almost certainly be crushed. He was only around 10 years old.

Anyway, I decided that enough was enough and I didn’t want to stick around Kidsgrove any longer if I was going to have a repeat performance by the local delinquents. So I decided to make a move, but before I did, I was treated to the unmistakeable sound of a Bollinder engine. It was going on for quite some time until I realised they were coming along the Macclesfield Canal. Around 10 minutes later they appeared from around the corner and I was treated to the site of this old work boat. As I had suspected, this boat was powered by a single cylinder Bollinder engine and the sound it makes is totally unique.

So after he passed, I untied and moved off.

I was excited to be able to traverse Harecastle Tunnel. I’d heard that it was haunted and that the tunnel roof comes down to a ridiculously low height. All I found was dissappointingly false and an anticlimax.

The roof of the tunnel does come down in stages but the height was never worryingly low and I was still able to stand up to steer the boat, although maybe with a slight stoop for my 5’11”, 1.81m height. As for the hauntings and markings on the wall somewhere, I found none.

To be able to pass through the tunnel, one is normally required to book passage with the CRT, which I had done so for 3pm this same day. However, I had turned up the night before along with another boat. In the morning the good CRT chaps arrived bright and early and allowed us to go through at around 8.15am. The other boat went first and then I followed 5 minutes later.

The following two images are slightly blurred due to be being taken on my phone with low light surroundings.

One thing I did find though, was that if you took your eye off where you are going for just half a second, you could be in trouble and may find yourself having contact with the tunnel wall. I did not on this occasion, but it did come close once, but I masterfully avoided striking the wall. My own fault really for trying to take photos and film with my phone. I should have been doing it with my GoPro instead.

Here’s a short video I took with my phone, which is quite good but I found it very difficult to hold the phone in the correct position and steer at the same time, avoiding walls.

After 35 minutes or so, I emerged triumphantly at the other end and the CRT guy checked me off as passing through. Dissappointingly, he did not have a gold star of achievement for me!

You can just about see the tunnel from whence I emerged, with a boat waiting to go in. Again we have the mucky, orangey brown colour of the iron oxide infused water.

I paid attention to the keep left instructions going under the bridge. If I had gone the other side, I dare say I would have run aground.

And I passed by the junction to the Macclesfield canal which after a few hundred metres, I was to pass under, by way of a couple of locks going down and an aquaduct.

I moored up very shortly after this for a well deserved rest, considering the number of locks I had negotiated the previous day.

After leaving my mooring, I shortly had to tackle Aston Lock, but this was no big deal for a hardened boater like myself.

I passed through Stone, apart from a brief stop off at a conveniently placed Marks & Spencer food hall that was right next to the canal.

In here I enjoyed a freshly prepared bacon bap and a capuccino before commencing my semi-expensive shop. The bap was perfect and tasty unlike another customer’s order who had delivered to his table an Eggs Royale but they forgot to add the ham… What donuts!

I spotted this rather neat looking memorial on the way past. Someone is keeping this immaculate.

I found this near the towpath next door to M&S. A welcome to Stone montage in tiles, which I think is quite unique as I’ve never seen anything like it before.

Not far from the the above, I spotted this sign below, which I thought quite comical.

I don’t really like locks with pubs next to them, as on a nice day like this one, there are normally a large collection of gongoozlers outside. They normally watch for any mistakes that you are certain to make and then point out the obvious to you. However, on this occasion, I was being helped by the guy with the windlass and the people were very friendly.

Just by the lock was this sign with interesting reading, particularly the part that tells of the unfortunate and tragic story of Christina Collins.

I also passed by the former Joule’s Brewery which has quite some history behind it. As far as I can find out, it closed in 1974.

I came across this tiny narrowboat which must have been no longer than 15 feet and the width of it was certainly less than mine. Maybe 6 feet at the most. Mine is 6ft 10in which is as standard as they get. Half the time, I don’t take the photo until it’s too late but in this case I had to pass close due to an oncoming boat, so there was a bit going on.

Here’s me negotiating entry in to the Measham top lock which is at the far north of Stone. Sorry about the camera dip near the end. I needed another pair of hands as I needed to control the throttle as well as hold the camera. I’ll use my GoPro next time.

I’ve seen quite a quite a few things on the canals during my travels. I’ve seen plenty of wharves where people have canal side moorings but this is one of the few who have created their own marina. It even has it’s own derrick to be able to single handedly take out the blocking boards. Marvellous stuff. Must have cost a small fortune.

It’s another one of those trees again, with the overhanging branches that totally obscure your vision ahead and sometimes, if not careful, knock things off the roof. I haven’t had this happen to me yet, but there was a close call where an action camera and mount got knocked over but furtunately stayed on the roof.

After I left my mooring at Great Haywood I went through the lock and I stopped at the conveniently located boater services right by Great Haywood junction. This junction is where the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal which comes from Wolverhampton, joins the Trent & Mersey Canal. I will be coming up from that direction on the way home.

I had originally thought that this boat below was coming through the bridge and I slowed down. After passing under the bridge I discovered that he was moored up, perhaps a little too close to the bridge making transition a little more difficult than it should be. A bit like parking your car too close to a junction.

The scenery around here was great, especially with this farm right on the top of the hill. The road to it looked a tad on the steep side but I doubt the farmer would have any problems with his tractor or his highest spec Range Rover 4×4. It appears I didn’t get any closer shots but it definitely was a steep hill.

These videos were from Sandon lock, I believe, which was a short distance before I moored..

I had moored just north of Carr House Bridge (89) and this was in the middle of nowhere, ideal for me. The name is taken from Carr House nearby but I couldn’t find out much more information about it.

The mooring was extremely peaceful and on this occasion, I was not invaded by a multitude of other boaters, which was nice.

I nearly forgot this short video of some bovine frolicking. Quite entertaining really as they are all bullocks.

Shortly after the end of my last blog post of Rugeley, I came across a very familiar boat to me, called “The Rum Wench”. This boat belongs to one of my favourite YouTube vloggers Heidi from her channel The Narrowboat Pirate. The stupid thing is, I was so gob-smacked at finding it, that I failed to snap a photo. The vloggers normaly release their vlogs after a week or so due to the time it takes to edit and upload the video. Buit I think it gives them some privacy from viewers knowing where their boat is and them being inundated. Something I wouldn’t like either. Anyway, she might catch the link above to her channel, I don’t know. I did comment on her vlog that I knew which direction she took but her secret was safe with me, as it should always be.

Anyway, lets crack on and this time, rather than rambling on, I thought I would mostly just show a montage of photos with captions. I will comment as and when it is required, or I want to. Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.

I had already moored just before the Great Haywood lock but it seems I neglected to take any photos of it. I need to get my act together. Anyway, as it was a nice day, I decided to go for a little walk and these are some of the photos I took along the way. I didn’t go very far but I had to have a bit of a rest after this as I was exhausted.

Well, that’s all for this time. Great Haywood is a really lovely place. See you in the next blog, very soon.